Taking photographs at a birthday or a wedding has become as natural as blowing out candles or cutting the cake. But our obsession with recording every detail of our happiest moments could be damaging our ability to remember them, according to new research. A study has shown that taking pictures rather than concentrating fully on the events in front of us prevents memories taking hold.
Dr. Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, Connecticut, described it as the "photo-taking impairment effect". She said: "People so often pull out their cameras almost mindlessly to capture a moment, to the point where they are missing what is happening right in front of them. When people rely on technology to remember for them—counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves—it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences."
Dr Henkel and her team carried out an experiment in a museum, to learn if taking pictures of the exhibits was hindering the ability of visitors to remember what they had seen.
A group of university students were led on a tour at the Bellarmine Museum of Art at Fairfield University and were asked to either photograph or try and remember objects on display. The next day their memory was tested. The results showed that people were less accurate in recognizing the objects they had photographed than those they had only looked at. It was found that their memory for the details of the objects they had photographed was poorer.
Henkel's lab is currently investigating whether the content of a photo, such as whether you are in it, affects later memory. She is also researching whether actively choosing what to photograph might influence what we remember.
Previous research suggests that reviewing photos we have taken does help us remember the objects, but only if we take the time.
"Research has suggested that the sheer volume and lack of organization of digital photos for personal memories discourages many people from accessing and recalling them. In order to remember, we have to access and interact with the photos, rather than just collect them," said Dr Henkel.What does the word “them”, in the first paragraph, refer to?
| A．Gifts at a birthday. |
| B．People who go to parties. |
| C．Photos taken at a wedding. |
| D．Details of the happiest moments. |
What is the “photo-taking impairment effect”?
| A．Some unhappy events may impair the effects of photos. |
| B．Taking photographs of objects ruins one’s memory of them. |
| C．The effects of photos are strongly affected by bad cameras. |
| D．Memories last forever when people take the photos they like most. |
What can we learn about Dr. Linda Henkel’s study?
| A．A group of high school students were involved. |
| B．The memory of participants was tested the following week. |
| C．People who just looked at the objects remembered fewer details. |
| D．People who photographed objects were worse at recognizing them. |
With which of the following may Dr. Linda Henkel agree?
| A．Reviewing photos improves memories of objects. |
| B．Focusing on people at events is the best way to remember. |
| C．Relying on technology to remember affects the memory. |
| D．Counting on cameras to record events is always reliable. |
The passage is probably taken from________.
| A．a health magazine | B．a cultural overview |
| C．an economics report | D．an entertainment website |
填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分l0分）
阅读短文，根据所读内容在表中的空格处填上适当的单词或短语。注意：每空不超过3个单词。
What causes traffic jams? Too many cars，right? No! Some Brits are now saying that trafficlights are to blame for much of the congestion.
They suggest that traffic lights be removed at busy roads．They believe people are a better judge of when it’s safe to go，not a traffic light programmed by an absent regulator．
A report from the Institute of Economic Affairs，a UK think tank（智囊团），argues that
abolishing traffic signals would decrease congestion，reduce exhaust（废气）emissions（排放）and improve safety．
The report said that removing lights should also prevent other bad behavior caused by signals．such、as speeding up to catch a green light It would also avoid the wasted time when drivers have to sit at a red light even if no one is using the green
The idea may sound strange，but it’s not new．Seven cities and regions in Europe are experimenting with no-lights roads．
Drachten in the Netherlands has gotten rid of 16 of its traffic light crossings and changed the other two to roundabouts under a“shared space”scheme．At crossings, cyclists dutifully raise their arm when they want to make a turn，and drivers follow a first．arrived，first．through approach and communicate by hand signs，nods and waving．The result? Typical journey time has been cut in half and accidents and congestion have mostly disappeared．
There have been small collisions but no problem，said Hans Monderman，creator of the scheme．“We want small accidents，in order to prevent serious ones．It works well because it’s dangerous．The driver has to be responsible for his or her own risk
“The many rules take away the ability to be considerate”Monderman added．“We’re losing our responsibility for socially responsible behavior．”
So far，Drachten’s locals have called the experiment a success．“I am used to it now，”said Helena Spaanstra．24．“You drive more slowly and carefully．but somehow you seem to get around town quicker．
Tony Ooostward，70，was equally enthusiastic．“I am a walker and now you are the boss at the crossroads，everyone waits for you．But at the same time walkers wait until there are a number of people wanting to cross at the same time．”
Owen Paterson，UK’s Shadow Transport Minister。visited Drachten．He said Britain should learn from the model．“The idea is to create space where there is mild anxiety among everyone so they all behave cautiously．No one drives fast along a busy street thinking that they have right of way．”
The model is being tested in London’s Kensington neighborhood．
阅读下面短文，简要回答问题。（共3小题；每小题2分，满分6分）
I was shopping in the supermarket when I．heard a young voice boom from across the aisle．“Mom，come here! There’s this lady here my size！”
The mother rushed to a boy she called Mickey；then she turned to me to apologize．
I smiled and told her，“It’s okay．”Then I talked to the boy，“Hi，Mickey，I’m Darry
Kramer．How are you?”
He studied mc from head to toe，and asked，“Arc you a little mommy?”
“Yes．I have a son”I answered
“Why are you so little?”he asked．
…It s the way I was born．”I said．“Some people are little．Some are tall．I’m just not going to grow any bigger．”After about five more minutes of answering questions，I shook Mickey’s hand, and he returned to his mother．
My life as a little person is filled with stories 1ike that．I enjoy talking to children and Explaining why I look different from their parents．it has taken many years to develop my confidence to be able to do that．
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness．I stand three feet．nine inches tall I was born an achondroplasia dwarf（侏儒）．Despite this，my parents encouraged me to do all the things the kids around me did when I was growing up When my neighbors got two-wheel bikes，I got a two-wheel bike When they roller-skated, I roller-skated．
I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school There，a few kids 1picked on me，calling me names．Then I knew．After that，I began to hate the first day of school cach year．I didn’t know who was new and would stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs．
As time went on，I just tried to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life．I was determined to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage．
What I lacked in height，I made up for in personality．
I’m 47 now，and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older．People 1ook in disbelief when they see me get out of my car off the driver’s side．During those times，I try to keep a good attitude When people are rude，I remind myself，“Look what else I have—a great family．Nice friends．”
And it’s the children’s questions that make my 1ife special．When I talk with children．They leave content that their questions have been answered My hope is that in taking time with them，I will encourage them to accept their peers whatever size and shape they come in，and treat them with respect．How was the author brought up?（回答词数不超过9个）
_______________________________________________________________________________Why does the author enjoy talking to children?（回答词数不超过12个）
______________________________________________________________________________Please Use several words to describe the author’s personalities．（回答词数不超过5个）
_____________________________________________________________________________
Alexis De Tocqueville，the French political scientist，，historian，philosopher and politician．Is most famous for a four-volume book he wrote called Democracy in America．He came to America in 1831 to study the American form of democracy’and what it might mean to the rest of the world．After a visit of only nine months,，he wrote a remarkable book which is regarded as a classic．De Tocqueville had unusual powers of observation．He described not only the democratic system of government and how it operated，but also its effect on how Americans think, feel, and act, Many scholars believe he had a deeper understanding of traditional American beliefs and values than anyone else who has written about。the United States．What is so remarkable is that
many of these characteristics which he observed nearly 200years ago are still visible and
meaningful today．His observations are also important because the timing of his visit，the 1830s，was before America was industrialized．This was the era of the small farmer，the small businessman，and the settling of the western frontier．It was the period of history when the traditional values of the new country were newly established．In just a generation，some 40 years since the adoption of the U．S：Constitution．the new form of government had—already produced a society of people with unique values．He was，however，a fair observer and saw both the good and bad sides of these qualities．
The first part of Democracy m America was written in 1831—32 and published in 1835．A highly positive and optimistic account of American government and society，the book was very well received．He attempted to get a glimpse of the core of American society．all the while promoting his own philosophy：the equaling of the classes and the unavoidable depth of aristocratic（贵族的）privilege The rest of the book he labored on for four years．and in 1840 the second part was published．This was substantially more pessimistic than the first，warning of the dangers despotism （暴政）and governmental centralization，and applying his ideas and criticisms more directly to France．As a result, it was not received as well as the first part，except in England where it was highly thought of．What is the passage primarily about?
| A．Alexis De Tocqueville |
| B．Democracy in America |
| C．The progress achieved in America within about 40 years after adoption of the U．S．Constitution． |
| D．The influence of the book Democracy in America |
What in the passage is mentioned as being truly remarkable?
| A．Many of his observations are still visible and meaningful today． |
| B．The book was so detailed and thorough after only such a comparatively short visit． |
| C．That the second volume should be so pessimistic in comparison with the first． |
| D．De Tocqueville’s powers of observation． |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage？
| A．The English don’t like the French |
| B．The book was most important because it was the first time that American values had been clearly documented． |
| C．De Tocqueville was a slow writer． |
| D．De Tocqueville was primarily motivated by an interest in his own country． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The visit lasted only five months． |
| B．The visit coincided with American industrialization． |
| C．The first part was published in 1835；the second part in 1840． |
| D．The second part was more optimistic than the first． |
International Weather Forecast（January 18 th，2008）
Paris Weather
·Today：Plentiful sunshine High 59F．Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph．
·Tonight：Generally clear．Low near 35F．Winds light and variable．
·Tomorrow：A mainly sunny sky．High 59F．Winds ENE at 5 to l0mph．
·Tomorrow night：A mostly clear sky．Low 36F，Winds light and variable．
New York Weather
·Today：Cloudy with rain and snow showers Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s．Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph．Chance of precip 40％．
·Tonight：Rain and snow showers this evening changing to rain showers overnight Low 34F．Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph Chance of precip 60％．
·Tomorrow：Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day．High around 45F．Winds WNW at l0 to 20mph．
·Tomorrow night：Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight Low 29F．Winds W at 5 to10 mph．
London Weather
·Today：Cloudy and windy．High 56F． Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph．
·Tonight：Partly cloudy and windy．Low 43F．Winds W at 20 to 30 mph．
·Tomorrow：Windy with occasional light rain．High 58F．Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph．Chance of rain 70％．
·Tomorrow night：Cloudy and windy．Periods of light rain early．Low 54F．Winds WSW
at 20 to 30 mph，Chance of rain 60％．
Sydney Weather
·Today：Cloudy with periods of rain．High 73F．Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall around a quarter of an inch．
·Tonight：Rain．Low near 70F．Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall near a quarter of an inch．
·Tomorrow：Showers in the morning with isolated thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon．High 78FWindsNNE at 5 to10 mph．Chance of rain 40％．
·Tomorrow night：An isolated thunderstorm possible during the evening．then occasional showers overnight．Low near 70F．Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph．．Chance of rain 40％．
65．Which city has the strongest wind on January 19th?
A．Paris． B．New York． C．London． D．Sydney．
66．There will be thunderstorms in Sydney oil．
A．the evening of January 18th B．the afternoon of January 18th
C．the morning of January 19th D．the afternoon of January 19th
67．If you go on a tour on January l8th，which of the following places of interest is the most favorable according to the weather report?
A．The Eiffel Tower． B．Statue of Liberty．
C．Big Ben． D．The Sydney Opera House．
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life，one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have．Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment．
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧）with the friends，relatives and acquaintances we already have．
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately。is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have gotten too busy，take a good look at how you spend your time．Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life．Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends，why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over．committed because you never say“No”to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be delegated to others? If so，why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities．Make sure that you schedule enough time for the things that are truly most important to you．
If you really want to keep friends in your lire，make a space in your schedule，and a space in your heart for them．In this passage the author mainly discusses．
| A．how to balance friendship and work |
| B．how to spend our spare time |
| C．whether we should keep friendship |
| D．whether we should invite friends to dinner |
Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
| A．You have someone to count on when you are in trouble． |
| B．You have someone to have close talks with． |
| C．You feel depressed with others in life |
| D．You have fun when you are with someone |
The underlined word“delegated”probably means“ ”．
| A．appointed | B．replaced | C．declined | D．handled |